This invention relates generally to apparatus for testing a weapon such as a missile. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tone generator circuit and a flight termination transmitter which are included in a flight line test set adapted for testing flight termination systems in a missile. 2. Description of the Prior Art
The Interrange Instrumentation Group (IRIG) of the Department of Defense, now known as the Range Commanders Counsel, has defined a set of standard decoder tones to be used with flight termination receivers and decoders on board missiles such as the Standoff Land Attack Missile. The flight termination system on board the missile is activated upon receiving these decoder tones from an external source and having the tones decoded by the missile's on board decoders.
The termination of missile's flight such as during a test flight, may occur when the missile veers off course and threatens to impact a populated area causing severe damage and a possible loss of life.
At present there is not commercially available tone generator and transmitter which will generate and then transmit the IRIG tones for use by a missile's on board flight termination system which when decoded will terminate the flight of the missile.
Accordingly, there is a need for a tone generator to generate the IRIG standard decoder tones for use by a missile's on board flight termination system to terminate the flight of missile should the missile veer off course. There is also a need for a transmitter to be coupled to the tone generator for transmitting the IRIG standard decoder tones to the missile's on board flight termination receiver for processing by the flight termination system including its tone decoder.